SHINEDOWN's BRENT SMITH On Coronavirus Crisis: 'The Universe Is Testing All Of Us In A Lot Of Ways'

SHINEDOWN singer Brent Smith spoke to Australia's "Everblack" podcast about how he is dealing with the coronavirus crisis and what the touring circuit might look like post-pandemic.

"To be perfectly honest, I don't know if in America people will feel comfortable doing mass gatherings until they know that they can get 60 days without one report of COVID-19, and that's either gonna have to be through inoculation or a treatment of sorts or a vaccine," he said (hear audio below). "I don't know how fast a vaccine can be made. There's so much speculations of when and where and how long it's gonna take, and what have you.

"There's another element going on here, too, I think, from a global standpoint with this, which is the environment," he continued. "The last time I checked, Mother Nature was undefeated, and this is a bit of a reset also, I think, for humanity in a lot of ways. I think that the universe is testing all of us in a lot of ways… I always feel like human beings, we're at our best when we need each other, and that couldn't be any more apparent than right now, 'cause we definitely need one another."

Smith also addressed the difficulties state officials face in balancing public health and economic factors amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"It's not an easy situation for anybody, because I think that there's a level of people are wrestling with their moral compass when it comes to the people that have lost their lives to this and the potential that people could lose their lives because of this," he said. "But at the same rate, there's a huge economic disconnect right now. So you're trying to weigh out an option of, 'Okay, well, if you do this, it's better for this scenario.' 'Okay, well, if you do that, it's gonna be worse for this other scenario.' So you have this economic strain on everyone and trying to figure out exactly how to maneuver this and how much longer it's gonna be before there is…

"People, I think, are looking for this magic pill or this magic vaccine," he added. "I don't know if you're gonna get it in the next two weeks, so the reality of that is you can't just depend on that right now. And the other thing, too, I've gotta say this — the reporting and how certain media is choosing to put this out there and press it on to people, it's a lot of negative news, and the reality is that there are positive moments right now that are kind of being overlooked. A lot of the reports in the U.S., they don't wanna talk about the recovery rate; they wanna talk about the death rate. We understand that, but they're not even talking about the fact that it's almost five times the number, the recovery rate versus the death. With any kind of disease or virus, death is a part of that."

SHINEDOWN's 2012 song "Atlas Falls" arrived on digital services on Friday (May 22), after being available since March only as part of a charity T-shirt bundle sold through the band's merch site.

One hundred percent of the proceeds from the bundle, totaling $300,000, has already gone to non-profit medical supplier Direct Relief. The band also donated $20,000 of its own money. Direct Relief supplies healthcare workers with crucial protective items and equipment.

"Atlas Falls" was recorded during the sessions for the band's fourth album, "Amaryllis", but was left off the final track list.

The song is currently at No. 18 and climbing on the rock radio airplay chart.

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